CELINA-Over a dozen retired members, along with a pair of new applicants, joined county commissioner Winton Young last Thursday night for the first meeting of the Clay County Rescue Squad held in well over a year.

In their first order of business, the assembly elected Betty Dailey captain of the new squad, Ken Miller as secretary, and David Threet as treasurer—officially reorganizing the group.

The rescue squad had been inactive since commissioners voted to “withdraw all support, financial or otherwise,” and decided the group should “be deleted from the emergency services dispatch,” according to a resolution passed by the Clay County Commission back in February 2016.

The action came after the squad lost its charter when some members and officers were indicted in December 2015 for multiple counts of theft and conspiracy to commit theft.

The reunion of lifetime members was facilitated after the commission threw their support behind the potential reorganization at their November 2016 meeting following a drowning on Dale Hollow Lake.

“An incident that happened two or three weeks ago has brought to light that we need a rescue squad,” commissioner Timmy Scott said before the dawn of the new year. “Now I’m not here to say let’s give it back to the people that had it, those people do not need it back, but I have talked to a couple of the older members that are not active, but they are willing to get active.

“Some of them said they are too old to do anything, but they would help set it back up and help get some younger people in it, but we need a rescue squad.”

That need may soon be filled, but Dailey explained there was a lot of work to be done.

“We have to close the old bank account, reopen a new one, and reapply for nonprofit status,” Dailey told the HORIZON Monday as she listed other obstacles moving forward. “We’ve also got a lot of missing equipment, all the vehicles need work, and the building is in disrepair.

“But we have changed the locks, have security measures in place, and have already received our first donation from the public. That’s a big step in the right direction!”

Dailey said regular monthly meetings will be held in the future on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Rescue Squad building and she encouraged anyone interested to attend.

“We will have an open door policy with the public and we welcome everyone to come to the meetings,” she said. “We are accepting applications and need the support of the community to make this work.”

For more information about the new rescue squad, contact Dailey at 931-310-1713.

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